Waterbury evening Democrat., 1887-12-19
CHAPTER XXIV.
A DARING ESCAPE PLANNED

A DARING ESCAPE PLANNED.
 From the very beginning of our impris- onment we had thought and planned about escape. A very hopeful scheme had been foilcd at Chattanooga by the separation of the band when the twelve were sent to Knoxville Andrews and Wollanl had actually gotten outside the prison walls the latter remaining at large for many days How to escape was one topic of conversation which never lost it's interest. We felt that if once more in the open air our chance of reaching our lines in the clear October weather, and with the abun- dant supplies in the fields, would be far greater than in the spring. We went over all the errors committed on first leaving the train, and each gave all others the benefit of all the knowledge of geog- raphy he possessed.
 But ill many other respects we were less favorably situated now for an escape than we had ever been before. The distance was greater to be traversed for Gen. Buell. | ed been forced back almost to the Ohio river. Our own number was dimin- ished by death. We were all weakened by more than six months of terrible i'm prisonment, and some of our best men were too sick to take very active part in the struggle, while a strong guard was
 
 strongly barred and locked upper room in the edge of 8 city which was almost in the center of the Confectionery.
 But we resolved at every hazard to make an attempt if there should be the slightest intimatiOn of an intention to bring us before another court martial. It was better to die on the bayOnets of the guards than on the scaffold.
 Long before this, when utterly wearied with captivity, we wrote letter to lief ferson Davis-still preserved in the gov ernment archives-stating our case from our own point of view. This brought no response. More recently we wrote again to Gen. Bragg, commanding the depart ment in which we were. This had been forwarded, step by step, to the president of the Confectionery, bringing from him a savage question as to why we had not all been executed like our comrades! This letter and it's numerous inducements are published in the War Records. We only knew of the danger it indicated at the time indirectly. Our guard was strength, ened; the jailor was overheard by a prisoner in another room saying: ssThosc Ohio men will soon all be hung!' The commander of the post, Col. Lee, visited us and asked of us almost the same uues- tion Davis asked, as to the difference be- tween our case and that of our comrades, and urged great vigilance on the guards.
 These things convinced us that our only chance of life was by taking the matter in our own hands. One plan proposed was to try to get out secretly, at night, by saving off the bars of our windows and lowering ourselves, one by one, to the ground. The fatal objections to it were that it required us to await a dark night, and even then it was scarcely possible that more than one or two would get out before an alarm was given. I had nc hope from it.
 But the other plan could not fail if every man did his exact duty, and we were now so well acquainted that we had perfect confidence in each other. It was simply to attack our foes in broad daylight When our food was brought in the after. noon, and the door opened, we could rush out, seizing and holding perfectly quiet the jailer and his assistant, threatening them with death if they moved, unlocking all the doors so that we might have the assistance of all the prisoners, and then charge upon the seven soldiers below, dis possessing them of their muskets in the first rush; and if this was done without noise or alarm, march them up into ou1 room and gag them there. It was not likely, however, that we would be able te keep everything quiet eEough for this; in which case we were to run as soon as ar alarm was raised, for we knew that there was Q strong reserve close by, and did noi fnh1 a11a fin rnclnn with nnv nnra than thf